Getting Stuck In.....

Hey folks thanks again for checking in! 

This week is all about getting stuck into training and head down bum up working hard....copping a fair flogging at intervals the last couple of times by the boys, but that's the price you pay when you have a break and miss the hard work that the others have been doing, a long road back to somewhere near a month ago.

The hardest thing has been getting back into routine.....I find it's easier to stay in routine than to change it when things are going well and I am focused, however once you break that routine, it then becomes harder to get back to the original plan and workload. 

Last weekend was very memorable for myself, but also the Aquanita Stable and Simon Miller. The team sent 2 runners to the races for 2 winners including the great mare Power Princess, who's record since transferring to our stables has been phenomenal. We first picked her up with 2 wins under her belt and 40k in prizemoney, fast forward 2 years and she has now won in excess of 700k with black type and a 3rd behind the mighty Black Caviar....Masterful training by Miller and track rider Kyzasolsay. They know the mare backwards and she never lets the team down! She goes out for a well earned rest on top of her game, so will come back with plenty still in the tank.

On the flip side am really impressed, but also sick of Skype already, missing my girl Gem who is enjoying some time in UK, and January cant come quick enough so i can get  over there and see her, and travel Paris together (amongst other places) they say absence makes the heart grow fonder and i can certainly concur with that theory.

In other news I have decided to finish up at The Running Centre at the end of the year, have a few other options in the pipeline, but have had a massive amount of fun and enjoyment working with all levels of runners in Perth and making their running enjoyable. The Running Centre will continue to grow and get stronger as people come in and experience first class customer service and expertise, and I wish the guys their all the best in the future. 

Speaking of customer service, i recently went in to the city to get some Christmas present shopping, and could not believe the level of customer service at a shop called Pulse...The staff their were super helpful, so much so that i was inspired to write to the owner and let him know how well his/her staff had treated me and made me want to come back and shop with those guys only.  I believe if we are to complain about bad customer service, then we should make the effort to compliment outstanding customer service.

Looking forward to the weekend, where the stable has some more quality runners engaged, then the Xmas party Sat Night which is sure to bring about some stories and good times.

Thanks for checking in again. Stay safe, enjoy the festivities and bring on January FFS...:p

RD

Winding Up - Winding Down

Hey Folks, thanks again for checking in for another bumper edition of Marto's Magic! 

This week has been pretty up and down, have finally got the runners on and started some training which is about time....have got some good rest days out of the system and it's now time to get training hard and wel again, will also have another 2 week break from hard training when i arrive in Paris, but should be all systems go when i get back from there to get a marathon ticked off this year. Looking forward also to getting back training with the EEP crew after a month off, am sure they will give me a fair hiding for the few weeks Ive missed training as hard as they have been.

Was a sad night Friday night when I had to say goodbye for 5 weeks to Gem, especially not being able to be with her for Christmas and New Year, but wont be far after i get to meet her in Paris, so really looking forward to getting over there and tucking into some frogs legs with Doubles...

Until then its Skype for now....

 

(last ditch effort haha)

But was cheered up by the outstanding performance of Miss Bux yesterday in the Placid Ark stakes. A filly with outstanding talent, which the stable has known about for a long time but have not been able to step her out due to soundess issues, Great to see her show the public what we have seen on the track, onwards and upwards for her.

Spent the night at the Inglewood Pub tonight with some very close mates, and had a great time chillin listening to the band play and relaxing with a good laugh.

Am also pleased to announce I will be back into Comedy early next year, having signed up for the heats of the RAW COMEDY 2013. Think there is a series of heats in Feb, followed by the Final and then if your lucky enough to get through the final is televised live on ABC so thats the dream at this stage! 

Coming into the silly season which is Christmas, i urge everyone to stay safe and enjoy the festivities! Lets not drink and drive, and remember what Christmas is about. To me it's not about getting stressed trying to buy the perfect gift, or getting stressed about how much money to spend on loved ones. To me it's about celebrating and being thankful for all the good things you have in life, and appreciating the gift of health and family.  

Till next time...Cheers

RD

Back from the Wilderness

Hey Folks, it's been that long since I've blogged I almost need to re-introduce myself!

Been plenty happening on all fronts;

My running has been going quite well, although have lost the love of the sport at the moment..recently ran a 10k PB at Margaret River in 33:46 and felt ok throughout, the boys in front set a solid tempo and ran super (Alex, Greeny and the Tractor), just couldn't reel them in but still a PB is nothing to be disappointed about. 

The last month however in training has been a massive struggle, motivation to train and the mental side of things has been the toughest, with doing so many k's per week (between 100-130) takes it's toll both physically and mentally, and i think the body and mind just need a quick freshen up, couple that with a niggling quad/hip injury that makes running uncomfortable and it's not making it enjoyable. So trying to freshen the mind up ready for some more hard training working towards my first Marathon next year. 

On the Charity front I'm not sure if many have been reading about my good mate Rig lately, but Aaron Richardson is doing a crazy swim from Rotto to Cott at Midnight in a few weeks time....I'm sure your thinking he is crazy, and your pretty much right. But take the time to check out this video to see why, and how you can help. Any prize or cash donations would be greatly appreciated

In my last post i also was updating everyone on Gemma and her fall from a horse which broke her neck! Gem is coming along well and almost back to her old self (apart from the neck brace). Gem is also travelling overseas soon, and I plan on joining her in Paris for 10 days. Having never been out of the country it's a great opportunity to invest in myself, take a break and enjoy Paris with my girlfriend.

 

Ok, so now to the Melbourne Cup...i think this year it will be run at a fast pace, with all the overseas horses wanting the speed on to ensure it's a genuine staying test, so many form lines coming from everywhere, and I can't help but to think Mount Athos is the token spruik international horse that comes every year and fails dismally.... Also with a Euro Jockey (albeit a great jockey) it makes me want to look elsewhere. I'm going to tip the best stayer in the race which I believe is Americain....right jockey, right horse, right weight, right time, right track conditions...to beat the super classy stayer Dunaden....Also think Ethiopia is a strong chance on his cox plate run, would be great to see a trainer like Pat Carey get the result as he has worked very hard for a very long time. Throwing in Fiorente and Mouryan for roughies in a very difficult and open race.

The good and bad of Racing

Hey Folks, thanks for checking in once more for another interesting edition of Magic! 

Well this weekend has really highlighted the up's and down's of racing for me. 

Has been a good week of running, been hitting every session well, under poor weather conditions but with a good crew it make's it that much easier. 

Have also managed to finish my latest book about surfer Mark Occhilupo, a great read even if you don't like surfing, great read on life, and challenges, and tempations...here is a clip of Occy in action

My next book is called "What makes your brain happy and why you should do the opposite". Looks very interesting so will keep you informed. 

But getting back to the title of the blog. The Good and Bad of racing has been highlighted this weekend, with a special mate of mine and Aquanita's finest apprentice Gemma. Gemma had a fall at trackwork on Saturday morning and by all reports seemed quite a simple fall, i was following about 800m behind her with another great mate Pat Carbery, when we wheeled around the corner flat out to see Gem laying motionless on the track, and a track staff member Dave, who was waving at us to go aronud, luckily thanks to Dave we spotted Gemma on the track and narrowly avoided her. But as i went past i couldnt help but feel sick as she was laying face down with her shoulder in an impossible position. As Pat and I pulled up and walked back in, it appeared she still had not moved (I'm told afterwards she had been moving before we got back to where she was). It was about 10mins until i could get someone to take my horse so that i could get out and see how she was, and was very relieved to see her laughing, talking and crying...Sounds tough but once i heard she could feel her feet and hands and was concious, usually that means anything else will mend...thats the bad part of racing, the risks associated with the sport. 

The good however is the reaction from the racing community, it can be very fickle at times and seem its very dog eat dog industry, but to hear how many people ask how she is, how many people have sent things to her and visited her has been a timely reminder the industry really is very close. The track was closed for close to an hour, and I didnt hear anyone sook or whinge about them taking their time to get her off the track. The staff at Ascot Racetrack First Aiders need to be congratulated on the way they handled the situation. 

Fingers Crossed Doubles can make a speedy and full recovery.

I'm looking to have another solid week of training, reading and enjoying the 34 degrees expected tomorrow! Beach Time!

RD

Summertime?

Hey Folks, thanks for checking in...it's been too long since I've updated the blog.

Firstly last weekend was a preview of Summertime in Perth then bring it on! This summer will be all time! Great arvo spent at the OBH and looking forward to getting back to the beach! 

Have decided to participate in the 2k beach runs this summer, so am gearing up for one in a few weeks competing for North Cott so will be interesting to see how different this is to road running!

Ok so some updates...

Finally had a breakthrough in the 10k Fremantle Fun Run, going sub 34min has been eluding me for quite some time, and finally managed to get just under that last weekend in 33:56. The conditions were great, and had a pretty even run which was super. To top it off had an outstanding Iced Choc after wards with Joao and Jen at a cafe in Freo...The more time i spend in Freo the better I like it. Very alternative crowd, some great music venues and some great spots to eat!

Also completed my AIM course in Social Media and Marketing, which was interesting and learned a few new techniques to help out business' with Social Media. Have the passion and thirst for knowledge back again so happy days. If anyone out there needs a hand with getting their business up to speed with Social Media am more than happy to help out and have a look.

On the book front have been reading a book about Occy (Mark Occhilupo), and its such an interesting read, you can learn so much from these top sportsmen and especially the life that Occy led. It's the sort of book you can't put down once you start and wont be long till I have finished this one! 

My Grand Final tip this week is Hawthorn in the AFL and Storm in the NRL.

The Hawks didnt pay to their best last week and were still good enough, think they will be cherry ripe for Saturday and will win in a close one! 

Cheers and chat soon 

RD

City 2 Surf 2012

Hey Folks, thanks again for checking in. Here is my race report for the City 2 Surf 2012.

Once again the City 2 Surf starts off as always for me, confusion trying to find my start group...eventually i found the other guys in priority start and we all ran down to the start line. Official start time for our wave was 8:55am. Typical amatuer fashion by Corporate sports Australia, we have some newsreader, then Colin Barnett talking to us about irrelevant subjects right before race time, come 9:03 and we are still standing waiting to start. 

Eventually the gun goes off and we are away, wit the usual push and shove of the few that think its a great tactic to sprint the first 200m before stopping.

Luckily enough i had a race plan to be a little conservative early then hit the hills and smash the back end of the race. 

I started off well and was sticking to the plan perfectly, a couple of my training partners went past me shortly after this photo (Josh Hart behind me ended up in 16th position)

Josh Hart and Adam Martin, both hard workers and great runners, and decided to let them go and will try to pick them up on the back 4k of the race. Special mention also to Big Country Seany Ralph (in the green) who also went past and looked solid the whole way. 

Maintained a pretty even 3:25 pace for most of the first half getting towards Selby st hill.

At this point was my time to step up and make it count, by this time the big Diesel Adam Martin was well and truly gone and not sighted, i could see Joshy Hart up ahead, with a few more quality runners between him and myself, including Jimmy Lewin and the leader of the Womens. 

Got over the hill still feeling ok, and knew as i turned into Perry Lakes i had left myself with plenty of work to do to reel these guys in, so i had to dig deep and start to really push the pain barrier, also try and have a quick thought about technique and how to be as efficient as possible and run it out strong, i picked up a few guys going through Perry Lakes, and then it was time to put in the hard yards up the 3 sisters (oceanic drive hills).

Feeling well and truly spent, but still feeling like the legs were strong enough to hold up, I gave it one final effort, and whilst running hard the last 3k was dry retching and feeling pretty average. 

We turned right into the finish line, and I tried to kick and finish off well, felt like i was sprinting hard but in all reality i was probably going the same speed all along. 

Another year done and dusted, happy enough with my run, but very proud of the EEP and the group of mates i train with. with 4 of the top 20 in the 12k, some great results in the half, and other great results recently outside of the city 2 surf, I certainly am keeping myself in great company, not only from a running point of view, but also the character and work ethic of the group, and the intelligence and great conversation on our longer runs is a massive bonus. 

Thanks to Raf, a great coach and a leader within the community, and all my training parnters. 

RD

WILLPOWER

WOW! What a book! 

Have just finished reading a book titled 'WILLPOWER' by Roy F Baumeister & John Tierney. It has taken me a good 4 months to read this book, there is quite a lot of detail and statistics which i admit made it hard to relate to at times! 

Took plenty of notes along the way and here is my summary of things i have learnt and can take from the book

 (also here is a clip that the book tells us about delayed gratification and the way some/most/all humans think and the decisions we make daily)

With Willpower, we must choose our battles. We cant control the stress’ in our life, but we can control the calm moments we are given. In this time we need to work out what we are after in life, and set out to learn new skills and disciplines.

Pick a day of the year (possibly your birthday) and each year reflect on what’s worked, what has not, what goals you still have active. Plan and execute, and reflect on this day each year. Have an idea of what you want to accomplish, and each month plan ahead, also factor in there will be setbacks and hurdles, and its fine if you don’t reach your goal each month, as long as you are gradually on the improve each month your already winning.

Write out a to do list, and with your to do list, it is essential that you write down the next step. What is the next step…..then its written down on paper and out of your mind. A date and time for the next step would be of even greater benefit.

  Sleep, great for the body and the mind….must have adequate sleep! This is something I know I do not get enough off, so will need to exercise willpower to make sure I am well rested

We must also keep track of all habits we would like to see improve, measure, record and repeat.

Reward often…whe we set a goal for ourselves, we must reward ourselves often. Small goals deserve small rewards but once we tick off a big goal, then we must reward ourselves accordingly....(fair trade i think!)

The last part of the book sums it Willpower up perfectly, and I was going to quote it here, however I have used Willpower to not ruin it for anyone who has the Willpower to read the entire book to understand the last page.

Delayed Gratification to you all

RD

The Magic is Back

Hey Folks,

Been a while since i have put finger to keypad and produced another blog post, looking forward to the next few weeks, especially the City 2 Surf coming up Sunday week.

Once again i will do the 12k race, after posting a time of 43:46 last year, I am very keen to post something quicker this year. 

The form has been quite up and down over the past 12 months, and must admit to losing some confidence out of a bad 10k race at the Gold Coast. The most succesful people in life look at themself in the mirror and do not use any excuses, and this is what I am doing with that run. I must do better and be better prepared. 

Since arriving back (with the exception of the manflu for a week) training has been solid and building a good base for it. Dusted off a few cobwebs with a fair 5k on Sunday, and a quick trip to one of the best physio's in town today Gary Russo, hips and back feel good and almost flexible! 

On the social front i have been starved of music gigs to go and see in these winter months, so much so that i jumped at the chance to go and see The Bee Gees Australian show (tribute of course), and had a great night, they did a super job of hitting some of the high notes that Robin Gibb used to nail.

All in all we need to lift and get some more music gigs in Perth! 

Speaking of gigs i did go and see Flight of the Conchords a while back, and they were brillaint. 

The fact the brought along Arj Barker to do a 30min warm up was worth the money of the ticket, even though i didnt pay! (thanks Gina!)

So now to cheer on the Saints this Friday night against Geelong, and then sole focus to city 2 surf.

Thanks for checking in.

RD

p.s if you do manage to check out the issue of Women's Health, check out the new pin up boy of the Perth running scene. 

Gold Coast...Paradise

Hey Folks, thanks for checking in once more. Just got back from the Gold Coast last night, and overall was an outstanding trip. 

My race performance in the 10k was below average at best, body and mind were 100% going in to the run, and was super confident of a 10k PB...

Started out the first 3k was bang on target, but after that the wheels fell apart, felt tired, tight, lethargic and couldn't go at all. At the 6k mark i knew i would be struggling to get a PB, but decided i need to learn something about each race i run in, and kept working as hard as i could, got on the back of a pack that had passed me, and eventually passed them with 1k to go, hitting the line in 34:39.

Long way off a PB, not sure the exact reason, will continue to train hard and assess after the Joondalup 10k in 10 days time.

One of many highlights for me was to watch the old man run the marathon, i knew how hard he had worked, and he was feeling pretty ill leading up to the race, so was hoping he would pull through and run well! 

The old boy looked good coming through the 32k mark, and flew late to get just under the 4 hours! Massive result 

The weekend was simply outstanding, its always great to get away with a group of mates, and hang out with them outside work hours and have a few laughs, and learn more about them as individuals.

(Jonesy and Myself were continually getting harrased by women to have our photo taken with them, these girls got us at a weak moment)

We had a cracker of a group around us with Greeny, Raf, Marco, Joao, Jonesy, Joao as well as seeing plenty of Diesel Martin and Diamond Dan Etherington...

Running provides such a great bunch of positive people, who always train hard but laugh even harder, and we couldnt of asked for a better crew assembled at the Coast. 

Saturday Night was the bowling championship for The Running Centre, was a tug of war most of the way until Marc See produced the last 4 strikes in a row to seal the deal. The old boys (Raf n Myself) had to settle for runners up. 

Like to say a big congratulations to all involved at the Gold Coast marathon, all who participated, and will be back there next year hoping for a better result personally! 

Cheers

RD

Awesome times

Hey Folks, thanks for taking the time to read! 

Been a huge week for me, have had a blast, turned 30 on Monday, I had a great day with the family, and as a present I was given 11 Hot Laps around Barbagallo Raceway in a super V8. 7 LAPS SOLO....I'm really going to push it hard for the track record, and since Monday I have been practicing in my red commodore! 

The week then settled back down in to normal routine, working working and working. And running! Have had a solid week this week, nursing some small niggles that are just annoying more than anything. Really looking forward to going out and giving the PB a red hot crack this week at the Gold Coast 10k. 

Looking forward to getting to the Gold Coast and seeing some of my family who have migrated there, as well as drawing some huge inspiration from watching Dad run the marathon! Amazing bloke. And also another road trip with the running crew which will be awesome, and of course who can forget the event of the year, the Tenpin bowling challenge. The Radar and RD Vs Marco and Greeny. Braun Vs Brains....Old Vs Young....think it's safe to say we have this one in the bag!

Have reached the half way mark in my book called 'WILLPOWER', was recommended to me by a guy who inspires me, so thought i would give it a go, and what a book it is! Really enjoying it. Will discuss my learning's once I have finished!

For my birthday i think i got 3 books to read, so trying to get through them soon so i can buy some more, there is something special about buying a book (maybe it's just me), it feels like holding knowledge in your hand, and the opportunity to learn and grow is something that makes it feel good, kind of like your going forward in life! (maybe it's just me once again!).

Thanks again for checking in.

Stay tuned next week and lets see how much I can smash a PB by.

RD

Gratitude.....and Turning 30

Hey Team, thanks for checking in once more to another edition of Marto's Magic.

Big night last night having had my 30th Birthday Party at the Civic hotel, although the pub is not a class establishment, the function room is actually pretty cool, and as i always say, its really not about the location, its about the quality of the company, and last night was the elite in terms of quality.

I do feel very grateful to have been surrounded by some of the best people I've ever met in my life, and when doing the speech the emotion of the night got the better of me, and was not delivered with my usual quick wit and class! :p haha! 

And also great to have my Mother, Aunty, Cousin Asha, Mick and Wayne come all the way from Melbourne to help celebrate. We have had a great week together, taking them to the great places of Perth and Freo, especially Little Creatures....my all time favourite spot!

The day started well on Saturday with a heavy training session covering around 17.5k, a sleep, then watching the footy with a couple of good mates, and in walked my brother and also best mate Paul. It was planned as a surprise, but i was starting to sniff it out late in the week using my investigative skills.

The night was a success overall, and once again a big thanks to all that attended, and look forward to having many more good times in the process.

Before last night I hadn't had a drink since March, so when i woke this morning feeling extremely sorry for myself, i could tell why i don't drink a lot. Such a waste of a day to get right and feel better. 

It's my actually Birthday tomorrow, so spending that day with the family before they head home on Tuesday. 

On a different note I am sad to say i had to resign from Make a Wish foundation on Friday, I had done just under 3 years with the Charity, enjoyed most of that time. I learnt some great skills and met some terrific generous people that will be friends for life so once again i am grateful for that. The trouble i find with some charities is there is a lot of people that enjoy having their name associated with the charity, but are not prepared to work hard together to achieve a common goal. I found it to be quite political and in the end, I felt i lost the passion for it, my heart was no longer in it, so the best result was to resign. Another reason is a i have some things in the pipeline that i am developing that will now need more time and attention going forward.

On the training front I have felt a real lift in my intensity towards training, as i now feel very switched on and focused towards a cracking 10k race at the gold coast, then really wanting to peak at the state 10k road race. Sometimes when your training a lot you can get complacent and actually forget the reason why you are training in the first place. I must remember I'm training to race.

As my last post as a 29 year old, turning 30 tomorrow, i expect from here on in, my blogs should be much more mature, and speaking to you as an old wise man. 

Stay tuned for another announcement on a comedy gig in the future.

Have a great week, and will no doubt be in touch soon. 

RD

Life Insights

Hey Guys and Girls, thanks for checking in once more... Been another interesting week, and have a big week coming up, as well as turning 30 next Monday 18th June. 

Seems like a lifetime ago that i had my 21st, and a lot has changed, and indeed i have changed....for the better, or for the worse, i guess that's up to the individual doing the judging..

I certainly have had plenty of ups and downs in that time, and experienced some moments that i will never forget. I guess it's at times like these that you can look back and reflect, but i must say one of the best decisions i ever made was to move to Perth 4 years ago. 

I was living in Melbourne, and slightly bored when an offer came to move over to Perth, and in my mind it was only a 6 month working holiday then i would be back in time for the new footy season the following year. Was a great chance to see the other side of the country, and visit a great mate Kyle who had moved back to Perth. 

What I didn't expect was to continue to live here for the next 4 years, change my number plates over to WA and consider myself a West Aussie. How times change. But I love this place, I love the laid back lifestyle, I love the weather, I love the small town feel, I love the location and the people! 

This video and the lyrics more importantly, resonate to some extent how i live my life and my philosophy, and tie in with the whole I love sentences above 

I am very proud to be associated with the people that i have in my life. Perth has enriched me with some wonderful life long mates, and i am also proud to say i work with an incredible group of people that inspire, and challenge me to be better each day. Also being involved with Toastmasters and Make a Wish foundation i have met some great leaders in business and speaking, and it is through these avenues i was able to jump into stand up comedy. 

I made a decision a few months back, to start taking some more risks, fortune favour's the brave. 

So the website is on it's way slowly, will be booking in some more stand up comedy, and looking for other opportunities to better myself.  As far as running goes, i also need to take a step to the next level and start being more relevant in races i run in. 

Weather looking bleak for Perth this week, but get out and make the most of it! You guys will be the first to see the website, i look forward to your feedback! 

Thanks 

RD

HBF Run

Hey Folks, welcome once again to another super edition of Marto's Magic, we have plenty to talk about this week with the HBF run on the weekend, also a quick movie review as well, under promise and over deliver i always say!

So firstly the HBF Run for a Reason 14k. What a super event, the organiser's should be congratulated for running a super event, was very inspiring to see 20,000 people running a fun run, starting at 8am, and the atmosphere was fun and friendly and plenty of laughs and smiles, really does give me a great kick to see people enjoy fitness.

Luckily enough i signed up early to get a start in the seeded category, which means you can go through the pre race routine and keep warm right up until start time. Was great to see so many of the states top runners in the event, top competition brings out the best in everyone. And before i go any further would like to congratulate the winner Paul Mackay on a great race, showed great character and heart to beat a crack line up.

My race plan was to start out conservative as i felt underdone from previous injury, and also carrying a bit of the Man-flu. Went through the first 10k to plan, although was starting to feel a little fatigued, when i reached the 10k mark it was time to quicken up and hit the line strong the last 4k, i really put the foot down, and felt like i was flying, only to check my garmin and realise that k was the same as the other 10k i had just completed, i lacked a kick at the end, and was a bit disappointed in hitting the line. But in review i guess i still ran a PB from last year by 1min 40 sec, and on the day i gave everything i had.

That's the difficult thing i guess when you strive to acheive high standards, sometimes you can be too hard on yourself and don't enjoy the small victories along the way. So now the focus turns to the Gold Coast 10k race on June 30th, and really want to push harder than ever in training leading up to it, i expect to break 34min for the race, unless the meter maids are on course and cause a hazard!

On another matter, we all know how popular Krispy Kreme's are, and the reason i bring this up is Make a Wish Perth branch are having a krispy kreme day in June, $20 per box, if anyone is interested please get in contact and i can arrange that for you. Great calories for a great cause!

On to my movie review...i recently went and checked out The Dictator, with Sascha Baren Cohen...it was shit...end of story....

Thanks for checking in again, i just got word that my comedy DVD is almost ready to upload to youtube, so will have the link next week to check it out! Maybe tuck the kids in to bed before as it does have an R18+ rating!

Cheers people!

Comedy Week Part 2

Hey Folks, thanks for checking back in! 

Well this week was the week that i had actually booked both of my comedy shows to see some comedians, first off was Wednesday Night we went and seen John Robertson at the Astor Lounge, and was the weirdest hour of someone on stage i have ever seen, although some people were laughing, was not something i would ever pay money to go and see again! 

Saturday Night however we went to see Joel Creasy, this guy was funny from start to finish, a class act and would highly recommend to go and see if the opportunity arises! 

This is one of my favourite clips of comedy from a group called Flight of the Concorde's, who are touring here in July

On to the week ahead, my thoughts are now focusing in on the HBF run, have decided i will take my place in the field, so now its about getting the body and mind ready to hurt for 14k. Training has been solid this week, and whilst i feel i still have improvement to come to be at my best, should still run well and hit another PB. It's a great course and had a great race in the event last year, so looking forward to it now i have committed in my mind to do the run. 

I also draw a lot of inspiration from the people doing these type of events for the first time. It's great that they have made a life decision to change and get involved in running and fitness, and to them i give them a massive pat on the back and hope they enjoy the day! 

Training has been great, and i could not ask for a better group of quality individuals to train with, guys all training hard and working together to achieve a common goal! Good luck to all of the crew who are racing, and will let you know the post race details next week! 

Thanks

RD

Reminds me of a song!

First of all i just want to say a big Thank YOU to the people who have commented on my blog last week, i appreciate all the feedback! 

Have you ever had one of those weeks where your brain goes missing? It reminds me of a Paul Kelly song that I have posted below..haha

After such an exciting and stimulating week last week ending in the culmination of my first stand up comedy gig, this week my brain has appeared to take a leave of absence! 

Was very excited this week as i had booked tickets 8 weeks ago for 2 shows at the Perth Comedy Festival (need to watch my competition), and at last the week had come. 

Wednesday Night i line up with my great mate Pat to watch some comedy, before heading out for a bite at The Flying Scotsman i decided to pick up the tickets...only one small problem...i was a week too early! I knew i was in trouble when the lady kept asking me who i was going to see, where it was on again, and can i spell my last name again! For those of you that don't know, i have a habit of booking the tickets wrong when purchasing online.....so i thought...not again....but when they lady smiled and said "Oh sorry that show is next week" i thought......you've done it again! I'm sure we can all relate to this?? PLEASE......haha

Anyways, Peter Powers the hypnotist was on that night so we bought tickets to see him instead, and turned out one of the funniest shows i have seen. 

This led me into my second thought if, I wonder if the show on Saturday nigth I booked is actually on this Saturday Night, as again i had planned the night already.....like clockwork, I had that date wrong also! haha! 

But i guess we cant take ourselves too seriously sometimes, always good medicine to laugh at the dumb things we/i do! 

So looking forward to this week, as i am sure i have the right week for my comedy gig's that i orignally booked for! 

Training this week has been good, body is holding up, and getting more confident to push harder and harder during sessions, im still only a 50-50 chance of running in the HBF, as i dont think the form i am in currently warrants a start just yet. 

Have started reading a very interesting book this week also called 'WILLPOWER', stay tuned for the book review! 

Have a super week, keep laughing, keep smiling and let the good times roll!

No Limits

Hey Guys, thanks again for checking in.

What a magic, full on week i have had. This week i have completed a crash course in Stand Up Comedy which culminated in a performance last night at the Elephant and Wheelbarrow. It was a long week of work and stress as i was looking for funny material, and doubting if it was funny to anyone else other than myself. A group of 12 of us worked together with Robert Grayson, and with working 4am each morning, then doing the comedy course, i was severely lacking sleep. Couple that with trying to get my training back on track for the HBF run it was a juggling act. 

I'm glad to tell you thought I made it through the week, the gig last night was outstanding...I was completely blown away by all my mates that made it to the night to support me. And even the ones that intended to go but could not make it late, was still stoked they had me in their thoughts. I got a few laughs early in my set which set the tone and was wrapped with the reception i got after finishing. It was a great buzz to be up their on stage, making it happen. I had always wanted to have a go at stand up comedy, and when i seen this course come up, i jumped at the opportunity. 

What i have learnt from this course and from life this week, was that their is absolutely no limit's to what we can achieve in this life. I am also a big believer in getting around great people and positive 'can do' people, so this helps with my 'no lmits' attitude. Whatever gets you out of bed every morning, whatever you truly want, i believe you can have. Sure there are steps and sacrifices you have to make in life to get the result, nothing is free and there are no short cuts to the top of the mountain, you have to be willing to pay the price. Life will offer you forks in the road every step of the way, its just a matter of choosing which way you want to go. That's why we need a goal and a bigger picture mentality, to continually exercise self discipline to get to our main aim.

Getting up on stage for me last night was exactly that, an opportunity to enhance my skill set and build the confidence inside of me. 

Sometimes you just have to keep opening up doors, not knowing where they may lead, but having fun along the way. Laughter is the best medicine so i now call myself a Doctor! Haha! 

Also am getting excited about another project i am working on with an online website, am in the process of getting my business branded well, then on to stage 2. still top secret at the moment but once we have launched i will be sure to tell you all about it.

My attention has now turned to the HBF in a race to get my fitness somewhere close enough to be able to compete and race well.

Keep laughing, keep smiling this week! Onwards and upwards! 

What is normal these days.....

Hey Folks, well the week has finally arrived, time to get down and dirty for the crash course in comedy. Every day from now till Sunday Night i will be focusing on some material and trying to remember how to say it in front of 150 people. A daunting task, but one which I'm sure i will come out the other side with more knowledge than when i started, so whatever happens, it's all good. Here is a video of my inspiration for comedy, love his work....

Back on the running front, have really struggled to find the motivation to train this week, pretty much injury free again which is great, however getting back into the habit of running and training has proved more difficult. However i am proud to say that i have not missed a session. One of my life KPI's is my self discipline, especially when it comes to achieving a goal. It's easy to say just one run missed wont hurt, but it is more the muscle that is self discipline that does not get worked, it then becomes weaker. 

Went for a nice 16k run around the bridges tonight, after finally getting the runners on and out and about i really enjoyed the sites of Perth around the river, and was great to see so many people out running and walking. 

My website is slowly coming together which is great, i cant tell you guys the idea just yet, but I'm hoping it will be a great success obviously! 

Thanks for checking in, have a super week and my next blog hopefully i will have some of my comedy routine for you to check out if you cant make this Sunday night at the Elephant and Wheelbarrow! 7pm start tickets at the door or you can pay me $15..

Cheers

RD

Fortune Favours The Brave

Hey Guys, well it's been another interesting week for me, training is almost back on track, haven't missed a session since Thursday morning, only going easy but it's good to be back running again. Hip is feeling 90% so hoping with continuing Physio and Massage it will come good and can get back to doing some intervals on Thursday. 

Also during the week, i signed up for a Stand Up Comedy course. For those that know me, you know i love going to see live Comedy, and have always secretly thought I could do it one day, so once this opportunity came up to learn the skill i jumped at the chance! Will be a very full on week, culminating in a performance in front of a packed room on Sunday 6th May, would love to have a big group of supporters there, if you want tickets contact me and can organise. Have plenty of material, pretty much offending most people so I'm sure you will not miss out.

Fortune Favours The Brave, a great saying and am applying this in day to day life, bout time to start taking a few risks, and getting outside that comfort zone. 

Had a great Saturday Night at Cody Angell's 30th Birthday, you really are a product of who you hang around, and there was an outstanding line up of quality people their to help celebrate. Had a great night, then up early for a run around the bridges with more quality guys in Diesel and Bartsy! 

Great weekend, looking forward to the next few weeks, anyone has any funny material for my comedy show please feel free to forward it on, might need all the help I can get. 

Keep running and good times ahead. 

RD

Life Perspective

Been another interesting week this week....been tough as training has been non-existent with a hip injury, so trying to get the massage/physio to work it's magic, I don't feel far away from a return, and have some big weeks building up, base fitness is great so wont be too long till I'm back in full swing. 

Car got broken into at Ascot racecourse trackwork which was just another hassle, and with the judicial system and society being so soft these days, these idiots are sure to re offend soon so everyone at Ascot watch out for idiots around the streets.

On a much better note, the saints looked impressive beating the bulldogs on Saturday Night, then i headed out to Fremantle to a great spot called 'FLY BY NIGHT' which is a music venue. Went there with my good mate Lamb Chops and his lovely girl Therese, had a super time listening to a great singer/songwriter in Justin Townes Earle (Son of Steve Earle; Copperhead road). The more i live in this awesome city the more i grow to love Fremantle as a place to go out in. Has a great feel, kind of alternative, but different and cool. 

Looking ahead, am doing a speech tomorrow night at Toastmasters, have not been to a meeting in a long time and looking forward to catching up with all the crew there. 

Then a meeting for Make a Wish foundation on Wednesday Night, we have a lot of great things happening in Make a Wish at the moment, which i will keep you in the loop with as events come up. Make a Wish is also my charity of choice for the HBF Run for a Reason, you can donate online by clicking the banner on the right side of my page. This video is a must watch to show what the foundation can do. 

It also is the reason for my headline Life Perspective....sometimes i get down when I'm injured, or the car gets broken into, or the horses from our stable don't race like they should. I then focus on Make A Wish foundation and realise there are a lot of people who would kill for the choices and lifestyle i am living. Seeing these kids and families go through some really tough times really gives me a great perspective and I soon learn to look at the positives and try and make a difference in the community.

Am really setting myself for a big HBF run providing i can get the hip right. 

Thanks again for reading my blog. Have a great week, keep running hard and training well. 

GO SAINTS!

Cold Chisel!

Hey Folks, have had a great week this week, apart from a small injury concern Saturday morning. Have had a busy week at work at The Running Centre and trying to organise things before the Easter long weekend. 

It's always hard to get away this time of year as in the racing industry we work 6 days a week, no matter what, so it is pretty much business as usual for us. 

Had a super set workout courtesy of a legend of WA running in Ray Boyd, and really felt it the next day, pain, but it was a good pain, the kind of pain that you have deserved because you worked hard, all you athletes out there I'm sure know what i mean. 

Saturday morning tried to do a set with running royalty and two of the most in form runners around in Chris O'Neill and Brandon Hargreaves, unfortunately i had to pull out half way through due to injury of the hip flexor, went and seen star physio Marc See and feels a lot better already. 

The highlight of the week for me however was going to see Cold Chisel with my American mate Cody, although he knew some of Cold Chisel i knew he was in for a treat and to see how the die hard Chisel fans behave on a typical Saturday night. 

It started off well with some old classics like Cheap Wine and Bow River, then it started to get very loose, unfortunately some ladies in the crowd decided it was time to get on the shoulders of others and started removing pieces of clothing, as Cody and I looked on in disgust and dismay........ we eventually had to look away, this then set a precedent for the rest of the night, and the form continued to read true. The next song was Flame Trees, this time it was the guys turn and he got up on the shoulders of someone and decided it would be funny to burn his chest hair..needless to say he was right....funny for us anyways! 

We then got stuck right in and by the time my fav's Khe Sahn and All for You, Cody and I were in rare form and probably best on ground! 

Finished off with a saints victory over the Gold Coast and can definitely call the weekend a winning one! 

Looking forward to the next month where i am going to plenty of comedy shows and seeing a country music artist called Justin Townes Earl playing in Freo.

Off for a run now, take care and hope everyone enjoyed the Easter break!

A wise man once said

Hey Guys, well in my last post i had just finished my 5k track race and was super pumped with the result, then went to Melbourne for a few days and a great concert. Fast forward 2 weeks till today and the landscape is a little different. Training had been good, although having 4 days off last weekend due to a head cold was not ideal, nonetheless i was very confident of racing well and going close to 33mins for the 10k. 

I started out well and managed to hit the sectional times i was aiming for in the first 5k, however i knew at that point I was starting to fatigue and the last 5k was a battle and probably the toughest race i have done. 

Had a few moments to myself after the race as i was frustrated and annoyed at myself. But at the end of the day i pushed as hard as i could on the day. Upon reflection, many a successful person in life say that they learn more from their failures than they do the success', so that's my answer going forward. My answer to the challenge will be in the next race, so looking forward to being able to rise to the occasion again. 

A great way to spend a night after a race, was going to the West Coast Blues n Roots festival to see the one and only John Fogerty! Was a great night spent with my swedish mate Filip (who won Best on Ground) and we rocked out to some great CCR classics. There was also some other great bands and I will def be back there next year.

 Just getting warmed up for Barnesy and Cold Chisel who are playing in the Swan Valley this saturday night.

Also if you have not yet liked my Motivational Mondays on facebook please check it out and like my page. 

Stay tuned, keep running and enjoy life.

Back from Melbourne

Well this is my first ever blog, so wont go too deep into philosophy this week. Been a super week this week, after a super hard 5k race on the track on Friday night, i jetted out to Melbourne to suprise my brother Paul for his birthday, and also to welcome into the world my little nephew Cooper.

The race on Friday night was interesting, i was quietly confident i could push hard and get close to a 16:10-16:15. Had a few really strong weeks heading into it, and there is something about the track that i enjoy also. I pushed hard most of the way, and was very happy to record another PB. The main point i take out of this race is that now i have set a standard, this must be the norm rather than the exception, so I am looking to consolidate this form in the bridges 10k coming up Sunday week.

I then jumped on the plane to Melbourne where i met my brother and family at the Comics Lounge in North Melbourne. It is a goal of mine to do stand up comedy at some point, so I always love going and watching other comedians. Had a great night, but was spent at the end of the night after a couple of solid days working and running and flying.

Another bonus of being in Melbourne this week was I got to see Tim McGraw and Faith Hill live at Rod Laver Arena, the sound was amazing, the couple rocked and Faith has certainly aged with a fine wine as you can see from the pic below

Love my country music and this show certainly lived up to expectations.

I have a very musical few weeks coming up with John Fogerty playing April 1 and then myself and the Aussie American Cody Angell are heading to Cold Chisel on April 7th.

Stay tuned for photos in Chisel uniform consisting of Wife Beater Singlet, Flanny and Headband!